Autoblog drives 2011 Bentley Mulsanne
May 24, 2010 | 01:41 PM
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Autoblog drives 2011 Bentley Mulsanne A Familiar Presence
Forgive the shock of its front end for a moment (those inboard lantern-like headlamps are more jarring in photos than they are in the flesh), and you'll note that the Mulsanne looks about the way you'd expect of an Arnage successor – big, upright body panels and grille, vertically stacked taillamps, outsized oval exhaust outlets, millionaire manhole-cover wheels, liberal use of chrome... it's all quite familiar. But look a little closer and you'll note some compelling details – the 'floating' mount of the rear window, the more pronounced haunch-lines of the rear fenders.
Of course, Bentley design is as much about scale as anything else, and the Mulsanne is no exception. With an overall length and width just shy of 220 and 76 inches, respectively, this is a big beast of a car – about a foot longer than a 2011 Audi A8L. It's so grand that it completely shadows its forbearer by nearly seven inches. A good portion of that increase can be found in the wheelbase, which stretches 128.6 inches – eclipsing Ye Olde Arnage by nearly half-a-foot. The elongation was made in order to increase space in the already capacious rear seat, perhaps a tacit acknowledgment of the limo-centric market in China being increasingly important to the marque's bottom line. Overall height is up a fraction to 59.88 inches, and all-in, this bit of Cool Britannia checks in at a heady 5,700 pounds, or about the same as the smaller exit car.
But back, for a moment, to the Mulsanne's design. As Bentley reps dutifully point out, the oddball front headlamps are a historical artifact of sorts, an aesthetic hat tip to the 1950s S-Type. We see the intent, but not quite the same grace. Regardless, those lights are nestled into some pretty innovative front fenders. Like the doors and hood, they're made of aluminum, only they're 'Superformed,' meaning that instead of being stamped, liquid tin has been poured into molds utilizing a technique first devised for aircraft panels. Doing so was the only way Bentley could get the complex shapes to work without unsightly seams.
Why no matching aluminum trunklid? Because it's rendered in carbon fiber. The material choice wasn't not so much a token weight saving gesture as it was design dictated – utilizing a 'sharkfin' antenna for the nav system was deemed a gross offense to the Mulsanne's shape, and the solution that best preserved the signal of an internally mounted unit was the costly weave. Oh, plastic probably would've worked, but that wouldn't have been very Bentley, now would it?
One last note about the exterior: Having sought to safeguard the cold, solid feel of all-metal door handles was at odds with the company's new keyless entry system, for much the same reason as the sharkfin antenna – poor signal transmission. Thus, Bentley had to devise new handles with a small 'window' inside. See what we mean about stealthy innovations to preserve tradition?
Full article and more images:
First Drive: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne is modern luxury with a strong sense of history — Autoblog
Forgive the shock of its front end for a moment (those inboard lantern-like headlamps are more jarring in photos than they are in the flesh), and you'll note that the Mulsanne looks about the way you'd expect of an Arnage successor – big, upright body panels and grille, vertically stacked taillamps, outsized oval exhaust outlets, millionaire manhole-cover wheels, liberal use of chrome... it's all quite familiar. But look a little closer and you'll note some compelling details – the 'floating' mount of the rear window, the more pronounced haunch-lines of the rear fenders.
Of course, Bentley design is as much about scale as anything else, and the Mulsanne is no exception. With an overall length and width just shy of 220 and 76 inches, respectively, this is a big beast of a car – about a foot longer than a 2011 Audi A8L. It's so grand that it completely shadows its forbearer by nearly seven inches. A good portion of that increase can be found in the wheelbase, which stretches 128.6 inches – eclipsing Ye Olde Arnage by nearly half-a-foot. The elongation was made in order to increase space in the already capacious rear seat, perhaps a tacit acknowledgment of the limo-centric market in China being increasingly important to the marque's bottom line. Overall height is up a fraction to 59.88 inches, and all-in, this bit of Cool Britannia checks in at a heady 5,700 pounds, or about the same as the smaller exit car.
But back, for a moment, to the Mulsanne's design. As Bentley reps dutifully point out, the oddball front headlamps are a historical artifact of sorts, an aesthetic hat tip to the 1950s S-Type. We see the intent, but not quite the same grace. Regardless, those lights are nestled into some pretty innovative front fenders. Like the doors and hood, they're made of aluminum, only they're 'Superformed,' meaning that instead of being stamped, liquid tin has been poured into molds utilizing a technique first devised for aircraft panels. Doing so was the only way Bentley could get the complex shapes to work without unsightly seams.
Why no matching aluminum trunklid? Because it's rendered in carbon fiber. The material choice wasn't not so much a token weight saving gesture as it was design dictated – utilizing a 'sharkfin' antenna for the nav system was deemed a gross offense to the Mulsanne's shape, and the solution that best preserved the signal of an internally mounted unit was the costly weave. Oh, plastic probably would've worked, but that wouldn't have been very Bentley, now would it?
One last note about the exterior: Having sought to safeguard the cold, solid feel of all-metal door handles was at odds with the company's new keyless entry system, for much the same reason as the sharkfin antenna – poor signal transmission. Thus, Bentley had to devise new handles with a small 'window' inside. See what we mean about stealthy innovations to preserve tradition?
Full article and more images:
First Drive: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne is modern luxury with a strong sense of history — Autoblog
